The World Wide Web has made available a great deal of xe2x80x9ccontentxe2x80x9d to computer users having an internet connection. However, such content is not otherwise available, e.g. to cable television subscribers. Moreover, the content available on the Web is relatively impoverished in production and presentation, as compared with sophisticated television productions familiar to the public.
The present invention seeks to redress various of these failings of the prior art. For example, in one aspect, the invention provides a video entertainment system in which conventional television programming and novel interactive entertainment are presented in an integrated fashion, with the user being able to seamlessly switch from one to the other without a disruptive change in context or in production sophistication. Illustrative interactive entertainment includes channels providing customized news, celebrity chat, games, and jukebox services.